Agricultural and mining activities contribute to metal inputs in freshwater ecosystems around the world, which can in turn bioaccumulate in biota such as fish. Monitoring of metals loads in biota thus provides insight into the concentrations of bioavailable metals within the environment. Little research has been conducted on the potential of Australian freshwater fish for biomonitoring metals. Within the Fitzroy Basin of Central Queensland, a major agricultural and coal mining region, three commonly-encountered fish taxa were analysed for tissue metal loads. Arsenic concentrations in Nematalosa erebi and Melanotaenia splendida splendida tissue were elevated (above Food Standards Australia and New Zealand (FSANZ) guidelines), with highest concentrations in N. erebi liver tissue (up to 5.14 μg/g). Lead concentrations were above the FSANZ guidelines in all three fish taxa analysed, with highest concentrations in Hypseleotrid full-body tissue (up to 5.99 μg/g). Selenium in M. s. splendida and N. erebi tissue was positively correlated with total selenium in water (p < 0.05; r = 0.68 and 0.87 respectively). Environmental boron, selenium and nickel concentrations were positively correlated with N. erebi liver tissue metals. N. erebi hepatosomatic index was negatively correlated with dissolved arsenic, manganese, and total phosphorus (in water). The results highlight that M. s. splendida and N. erebi yield bioindicators which are responsive to environmental metals, and thus have potential for use in biomonitoring metals. The two species are also widespread along the east coast of Australia, there is thus a strong potential for applying the results to other regions within Australia.

农业和采矿活动为全球淡水生态系统中的金属投入做出了贡献，而金属反过来又可以在鱼类等生物群中生物富集。因此，监测生物区中金属负载可以洞悉环境中可生物利用的金属的浓度。关于澳大利亚淡水鱼对金属进行生物监测的潜力的研究很少。在昆士兰州中部的一个菲茨罗伊盆地（一个主要的农业和煤矿开采区）内，分析了三种常见的鱼类类群的组织金属负荷。在砷浓度Nematalosa erebi和Melanotaenia蜥蜥组织明显升高（食品标准澳大利亚和新西兰（FSANZ）的指导方针以上），在最高浓度N. erebi肝组织（最高5.14μg/ g）。所分析的所有三种鱼类中的铅含量均高于FSANZ指南，在半足纲动物全身组织中的铅含量最高（最高5.99μg/ g）。硒 脾脏和肠念珠菌组织与水中的总硒呈正相关（p  <0.05；r 分别为0.68和0.87）。环境中硼，硒和镍的浓度与猪新猪舍肝组织金属呈正相关。N. erebi肝体指数与溶解的砷，锰和总磷（在水中）呈负相关。结果突出表明。蜥和N. erebi产生对环境金属有反应的生物指示剂，因此具有在生物监测金属中使用的潜力。这两个物种在澳大利亚东海岸也很普遍，因此具有将结果应用于澳大利亚其他地区的强大潜力。